Why I Began My Zero Waste Journey

About two years ago, I woke up from a drowsy state and saw our planet's devastating condition clearly for the first time. Removing myself from that deep slumber took some heavy shaking and splashing water on my face, but I finally opened my eyes and I’ve never viewed the world the same since. My values changed. My priorities shifted. Here’s how this mindset shift occurred and led me on a zero waste journey

Childhood Teachings

Growing up, I paid attention when my teachers taught us to reduce, reuse, and recycle. But my childhood environmental education fell short of what I learned later as an adult. My family recycled, and we made good use of our resources living out in the country. We raised cage-free chickens, responsibly hunted and fished for some of our food, used trees in our backyard to build things, planted more trees, and reused materials and clothes.

But we also bought plenty of materials we didn’t need, dumped spoiled food in the trash can, left the hot water running longer than necessary, and quickly filled our dumpster with waste. We weren’t very concerned about our environment or taught many facts and figures that made us question our daily practices. Surely this is because there weren’t nearly as many resources back then as there are now. Almost no one understood or believed climate scientists at the time. Or maybe we just weren’t listening closely. 

Two of my best friends in high school, Jess and Eric, were certainly listening. They were always suggesting to me and the other people in our town to learn more about the state of the world so that we would care more. They preached that our planet would not be able to sustain the current systems within our society, but I didn’t see any proof. So, I felt little urgency. I used to think they were dramatic and emotional about this topic that I knew so little about, so I didn’t listen to them very well. They each left our small town to pursue environmental-related careers and shop at zero waste stores. Meanwhile, the rest of us continued in our old ways, generously contributing to the 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste and 5.1 billion metric tons of energy-related CO2 produced in the U.S. annually. 

Mental Health Blog Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional, therapist, or mental healthcare professional. The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only, comes from my own personal experiences, and may be read, interpreted, and practiced at your own risk. Do not rely on this information as a substitute to medical advice or treatment from a healthcare professional.

The Broad Topic of the Climate Crisis

But there were more people like Jess and Eric out in the world; people at my college, people from other parts of the country, influencers on social media, and celebrities on TV. From 2014 (high school era) to the present day in 2021, the fire really started catching. Yes, absolutely the wildfires in California and Australia, but also the fire called “an understanding of the climate crisis and the motivation to change.” 

The state of our world isn’t as healthy and stable as you might think. Our safe little spot on this planet is headed down a dark and dangerous path if we continue in our ways. The terror of the climate crisis has already consumed many other living creatures. And it’s largely our fault. 

When it comes to the topic of the environment, it’s very broad. It’s hard to know where to start this conversation. I could launch into a discussion on the toxins and greenhouse gases produced from landfill waste and the shocking amount of space they take up. I could talk about the unsustainable meat industry or the dangerous consequences of coal and natural gas plants. I could brush on the fact that the extraordinarily diverse and abundant ecosystems of the rainforest and coral reefs are being destroyed and explain why this is an incredibly dangerous concept. I could focus on climate disasters, their link to human-induced CO2 and methane, and the devastating intersection that overlaps social justice issues, poverty, and public health. 

But instead, I’m going to talk about plastic because interacting with a tangible form of waste and pollution is what initially snapped me into action to head toward a zero waste lifestyle.

Plastic Waste

I believe it’s really hard to make any kind of change if you don’t feel emotionally propelled to do so. I didn’t start changing my lifestyle until I felt an emotional connection through anger, sadness, anxiety, and hopelessness. These feelings were sparked by documentaries I watched, articles I read, conversations I had, and real life experiences I engaged in, as I will share below. Buckle in, everyone. This is an emotional, confusing, and challenging roller coaster ride.

Climate Activist Bonnie Wright

My first memories of feeling so disturbed by the issue of plastic that I wanted to make a change were from listening to interviews of Bonnie Wright (environmental activist known for playing Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter). I listened to this interview - The Fullest Podcast Interviews Bonnie Wright (specifically 30:51 - 39:37) - while walking through Wal-Mart. I observed the extensive selection of plastic on the shelves, and I left with tears in my eyes. I realized how much of the plastic was just single-use, which serves one small purpose and is then dumped into a landfill. 

Plastic is cheap and easy to produce, so it’s perfect for convenience-loving first-world dwellers. This material is beneficial to have on hand in the healthcare industry and parts of the world that have few resources and need quick solutions for survival. But our world has taken the production of plastic to an extreme and unnecessary level. The mass production, distribution, and breakdown of plastic is a problem because the entire life cycle of this material is very toxic to people, animals, and the planet. From the extraction of crude oil, methane gas, and coal to the conversion of these raw materials into petroleum products and polymers, which are compounded into plastic, this process involves the release of very harmful chemicals and polluting emissions. 

Books about Microplastic

In the book How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum, I learned about the issue of microplastics and the concept of bioaccumulation. Microbeads, or microplastics, are tiny pieces of plastic that were produced in mass quantities and added to household products until research was done on the Great Lakes in 2013. The research revealed that Lake Ontario, the smallest of the lakes, contained 1.1 million microbeads per square kilometer. Though the U.S. Congress passed a law to ban the production of microbeads in many products, the plastic that is produced today is still able to break down into tiny fragments and create more microplastics. 

These microplastics break off our clothing, household products, plastic bags, and water bottles and enter our water systems like lakes, rivers, drinking water, and the ocean. The toxins released from microplastics have harmful consequences, like sickness and infertility. Animals mistake plastic for food and pass it on to their children, resulting in birth defects and sometimes the extinction of an entire species. To make matters worse, plastic contains PCBs, which have the ability to absorb toxicity from other chemicals nearby. If a piece of plastic is floating next to a piece of metal in the ocean, the plastic is able to soak up that metal’s toxins. Then, the next sea creature that eats that plastic will reap the consequences of the harmful chemicals in both plastic and metal. 

Every year, 363 million tons of plastic are produced and 13.9 million tons of plastic enter the ocean. Eighty percent of the plastic in the ocean comes from land. Over 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs, and last year when I went pheasant hunting, I found plastic in the digestive system of the birds I cleaned. It was sobering and completely unsurprising after everything I’d been learning. Take a moment to envision birds choking on plastic and passing the harmful chemicals onto their babies. If you’re having trouble picturing this, watch this video. Perhaps the emotions you feel while watching will propel you to learn how to eliminate single-use plastics in your life.

Zero Waster Lauren Singer

Less than two years ago, I stumbled across a Ted Talk (WATCH THIS, seriously) by Lauren Singer, who quickly became a huge role model of mine. Lauren is the CEO of Package Free Shop, my favorite zero waste store for purchasing ethically sourced, sustainably produced, and package-free home and beauty products. Lauren Singer is incredible because she lives a zero waste lifestyle, meaning she does not produce trash or contribute any waste to landfills. This Ted Talk allowed me to define exactly what I wanted to do to live in alignment with my values. Thanks to Lauren Singer and her life-changing Package Free Shop, I was inspired to learn how to eliminate single-use plastics from my life and start on my own zero waste journey.

Plastic very negatively impacts our entire world ecosystem, and because I’ve been doing the research to understand the extent of the damage, I am unable to move forward in the same way I used to. Thanks to Lauren, I know it’s possible to live a zero waste lifestyle in our society. Every day, I make the conscious decision to avoid plastic, not create trash, and lower my carbon footprint. I’m not perfect, and I definitely still own a trash can. I haven’t reached 100% zero waste yet, but I’m taking the steps to get there. I have the ability to make my own products, shop at sustainable stores, use a compost bin, and sacrifice personal convenience for the health of our world. There is no other option for me anymore!

Every single time I pick up a piece of plastic, I consider its life cycle. How was this produced and where is it going to go when I’m done with it? Do you know how long common pieces of plastic take to decompose? Decomposition takes 200 years for a straw, 450 years for a plastic bottle, and 500 years for a plastic coffee pod. I cannot continue to mindlessly toss waste into a can knowing these facts.

The natural world is the most breathtaking and magical thing I’ve ever seen. When I’m surrounded by nature, I know true peace and beauty. I’m going to take care of Mother Nature in exchange for how she nurtures me. There is no right or wrong place to start on this journey to live more sustainably. There is only taking one of your feet and moving it forward in a baby-step fashion. If you are interested in living more sustainably, I’m proud of you. You can do this!